Dr. Piyush Ranjan Rout (Ph.D) is a Netherlands Fellowship Recipient, has done Ph.D in Geography with specialization in Urban Environment Management from Institute of Housing Urban Development Studies, Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Urban Regional Planning from School of Planning, CEPT, Ahmedabad, India. His other important international education includes Corporate Social Responsibility; Urban & City Management from World Bank Institute, Washington D.C. He is also alumni of United Nations Institute for Training & Research, Geneva and Central European University, Budapest. He has also published quite bit number of article relating to his profession.

He has more than ten years of experience in Urban Sector focusing work importance to local, national and international development. Some of his recent projects include: setting up local government association, City Development Plan, Climate Change & Renewable Energy practice in Municipal Services, City Level Carbon Inventory report, Disaster risk reduction, Urban Management i.e. property tax, resource mobilization, Mobility, Social Audits, Tourism & Heritage,  development of poverty reduction strategy and Introduced Corporate Social Responsibility in City Management.
Importantly he has contributed in designing reform agenda for cities & provincial government under India's Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and support to cities and states on institutional reform for improved municipal service delivery. This led the Govt. of Orissa to win national level first prize award for undertaking reforms.

He has wise experience of understanding the functioning of Governance, Interface between Elected Representatives - Civil Servants – officials and experience of dealing with Government, Bilateral Agencies and NGOs etc. His work areas allowed Interfacing between UN agencies, World Bank, USAID, INGO, NGO, GOI and GOO.
His main interests are urban planning, management, sustainability, governance, tourism planning, Public Policy, Disaster Risk Reduction, Mobility, Corporate Social Responsibility and Local Economic Development. His passion is to work in the development sector that aims to provide a better quality of life. He is currently involved in a social programme like “Low Carbon Future Cities” and “Branding Indian Cities”.

Dr. Piyush Ranjan Rout, is the Co Founder Cum Executive Director of Local Governance Network is inspired by Gandhian Philosophy of Be the change you want to see the world with modern views of Facilitating Innovation in City Management. In past he worked with various international, National and Local Level institutions. He has vast exposure to world urbanization and practices that works at local level with international touch. He is recipient various national & international awards and fellowships.